Wet, rainy day heralds fall's arrival across Utah

A wet Sunday not only marked the start to fall, but the first snowfall of the season, too.

Cool, fall-like temperatures were on hand to welcome the arrival of the 2013 Autumnal Equinox. It was even cold enough in the high Uintas for a couple inches of snow to drift down to about 9,000 feet, and accumulate at 10,000, said Peter Wilensky, lead forecaster for the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.

"We're bringing fall in with a fall-like storm," Wilensky said. But the celebratory return of the white powder is actually a little late. He explained that "a lot of times, right around Labor Day we have a teaser and a storm dusts the peaks with a little snow, right around late August or early September."

Stormy weather in southern and eastern Utah also pelted the areas around Strawberry Reservoir and Monticello with hail and flooded areas of Arches National Park. By noon, the Delicate Arch trailhead and Wolfe Ranch were shut down, according a tweet from the Arches National Park.

The weather service warned people to avoid driving their vehicles on flooded roadways.

Salt Lake City residents were expected to see some scattered thunderstorms through Sunday night, with temperatures expected to top out at 68. Come Monday, the skies were expected to clear to make way for mostly sunny skies.

But another storm system is on track to arrive Wednesday, one that is forecasted to be "a bit colder and a bit stronger and will probably [affect] more in the state of Utah, with a much better chance of rain here in the north," Wilensky said.

The unsettled weather is expected to last through Friday — and when the clouds part, people along the Wasatch Front may not have to look at a picture of the Uintas on their computers to see snow. The storms may bring snowflakes as low as 7,000 feet, with accumulation above 8,000, Wilensky said.

Until then, Salt Lake City's high was expected to hit 68 degrees Sunday and Monday; Provo looked for 69 and 70 degrees, respectively; Ogden 68 both days; Logan 68 and 67; Wendover 66 and 70; Duchesne 62 and 67; Cedar City 62 and 70; St. George 77 and 83; and Moab 75 both days.

jstecklein@sltrib.com, mmcfall@sltrib.com

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